Pack Question

[gramps73]

looking for a pack for my 14 year old son.
needs to have a internal gun scabbard and light weight. he will not be doing any packing out of animals I have a pack for that
new of used does not matter
thank you

[marky_mark]

Only internal scabbard I can think of is a eberlestock gunslinger

[LJalberta]

Eberlestock makes a number of packs that might be what you're looking for.

[3blade]

Look for a used eberlestock x1a1. I bought one when they first came out and still use it, very well designed and made

[Knotter]

Does anyone other than eberlestock make one?

[koschm]

Kifaru did make one at one point in time, it was called the Mountain Rambler. If you do a Google such on it you'll find reviews. I've had the Eberlestock Gunslinger prior to the Kifaru and I much prefer the Kifaru, it's a better backpack.

[jmparker]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Look for a used eberlestock x1a1. I bought one when they first came out and still use it, very well designed and made

I second the x1a1!

[LJalberta]

Kifaru's old Mountain Rambler or their current Kifaru Long Range Hunter Scabbard would also fit the bill. But they're what I would call light, and definitely not cheap.

[huntinstuff]

Pm sent re: my Eberlestock Blue Widow

[Esox]

depending on how big of pak you want, look at this one my buddy sells on his site.

https://coyotecalls.com/collections/...12423011991665

[KodiakHntr]

Originally Posted by gramps73

looking for a pack for my 14 year old son.
needs to have a internal gun scabbard and light weight. he will not be doing any packing out of animals I have a pack for that
new of used does not matter
thank you

Why the “need” to have an internal scabbard? Lots of packs out there will strap a rifle to the outside quite well and will carry weight a BUNCH better than anything Eberlestock makes. If you want your boy to enjoy being in the mountains with you why not buy quality gear to start with instead of buying a gimmick?

[Pathfinder76]

Agreed.

[Full Curl Earl]

Originally Posted by KodiakHntr

Why the “need” to have an internal scabbard? Lots of packs out there will strap a rifle to the outside quite well and will carry weight a BUNCH better than anything Eberlestock makes. If you want your boy to enjoy being in the mountains with you why not buy quality gear to start with instead of buying a gimmick?

Well theres a whole bunch of opinion for ya!

I also am not a fan of built in scabbards, packs are usually quite heavy that have them.

[KodiakHntr]

Originally Posted by Full Curl Earl

Well theres a whole bunch of opinion for ya!

I also am not a fan of built in scabbards, packs are usually quite heavy that have them.

Well that isn’t really opinion, lol. There isn’t anyone who will put 75lbs in a Stone Glacier, Kifaru, Exo, or Seek, and carry it for 2km in rough terrain and then do the same with an Eberlestock and declare the Eberlestock as equal in its capabilities.

You WILL find a bunch of guys who say its great gear because thats what they bought and they haven’t tried anything better though.

You can always find a used SG/Kifaru online for close to the same price as new gimmick packs. And the difference being there will be better customer service, better capabilities, and higher quality. And he won’t need to upgrade unless he wants too later in life.

No brainer to me.

[Pathfinder76]

My son, pictured above, saved his pennies (after doing his own research) and bought the SG frame and dry bag and used it until he and Santa could come to an agreement on a bag.

[KodiakHntr]

Originally Posted by chuck

My son, pictured above, saved his pennies (after doing his own research) and bought the SG frame and dry bag and used it until he and Santa could come to an agreement on a bag.

Which bag did Santa go with?

[Justfishin73]

Lots of Badlands on sale at Cabelas

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by KodiakHntr

Which bag did Santa go with?

The Evo 40/56

[straight]

Originally Posted by LJalberta

Eberlestock makes a number of packs that might be what you're looking for.

Used Eberlestock Blue Widow for one hunting trip, sold it, too heavy for mountains. Now use Kuiu. It is OK, but not the best.

[OL_JR]

If there isn't any packing of heavy weight the Eberlestocks are not a bad pack. I will say they are durable and they have a number of different compartments which is really nice. Packing heavy weight not the best at all, I had to give up on my Dragonfly as a mountain pack as the back just couldn't take it anymore. OP isn't looking for a mountain pack though and an Eberlestock might be just perfect.

If in time your son might be getting into the light in and heavy out stuff I'd give a nod to something like a Stone Glacier. I have the Talus which might be overkill for what you are looking for but you can always get one with a smaller bag and still have the load shelf which is absolutely awesome for hauling out game. I've packed sheep out on both the Eberlestock and and the Talus it is absolutely night and day.

[wildwoods]

I own the Eberlestock Team Elk pack with built in scabbard. That is the only good feature of the pack. It's heavy, doesn't haul well and is expensive for what it is. Thankfully it was given to me as a Christmas present a few years ago. I would never encourage anyone to buy one.
I went with an Exo 5500 and haven't looked back.

[krazy]

If you want to keep the cost down the Eberlestock Main Frame packs just fine and is very versatile. You can set it up as minimalist day pack with just a scabbard, or scabbard and a duffel, all the way up to a multi over nighter.

[crazy_davey]

Originally Posted by KodiakHntr

Well that isn’t really opinion, lol. There isn’t anyone who will put 75lbs in a Stone Glacier, Kifaru, Exo, or Seek, and carry it for 2km in rough terrain and then do the same with an Eberlestock and declare the Eberlestock as equal in its capabilities.

You WILL find a bunch of guys who say its great gear because thats what they bought and they haven’t tried anything better though.

You can always find a used SG/Kifaru online for close to the same price as new gimmick packs. And the difference being there will be better customer service, better capabilities, and higher quality. And he won’t need to upgrade unless he wants too later in life.

No brainer to me.

Agreed. Well said.

[3blade]

Originally Posted by KodiakHntr

Well that isn’t really opinion, lol. There isn’t anyone who will put 75lbs in a Stone Glacier, Kifaru, Exo, or Seek, and carry it for 2km in rough terrain and then do the same with an Eberlestock and declare the Eberlestock as equal in its capabilities.

You WILL find a bunch of guys who say its great gear because thats what they bought and they haven’t tried anything better though.

You can always find a used SG/Kifaru online for close to the same price as new gimmick packs. And the difference being there will be better customer service, better capabilities, and higher quality. And he won’t need to upgrade unless he wants too later in life.

No brainer to me.

Ya, it is a bunch of opinion and ASSumption, along with a lack of reading comprehension. OP said he isn’t packing animals in it, so who cares about 75 lbs

FWIW, I have CT aluminum freighter, X1A1, and SG sky archer...and Ive packed a lotta weight over a lot of km in each of them. So your assumption about “don’t know any better” is very arrogant.

And finally, the scabbard in the X1 is definitely more comfortable vs the SG weapon sling. Does the SG work as designed, yes, but having 7-10 lbs on one side does not make for a well balanced pack. I ended up strapping my rifle down the middle.

[Triggerfish]

Full curl system by horn hunter sells two different packs with a quick release system, they also sell the quick release system separately to strap onto most other packs, i have the large pack and the release works flawlessly, check em out. I can have it off the pack and on my shoulder in under 3 seconds, it is on the heavy side though, but if you dont shoot anything who cares lol, mine has a day pack that straps onto the meat bag, sort of a stacking convertible, used it on about 4 trips now

[obsessed1]

I have the HH full curl system. Great option for guys who can't afford kifaru/ SG or EXO. It's a good system that packs weight well but starts off heavier than the top tier.my full curl can be run as a 7-10 day pack or just a day pack or even just meat shelf on it's own. For under 350 for the full system it's hard to beat.

[KodiakHntr]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Ya, it is a bunch of opinion and ASSumption, along with a lack of reading comprehension. OP said he isn’t packing animals in it, so who cares about 75 lbs

FWIW, I have CT aluminum freighter, X1A1, and SG sky archer...and Ive packed a lotta weight over a lot of km in each of them. So your assumption about “don’t know any better” is very arrogant.

And finally, the scabbard in the X1 is definitely more comfortable vs the SG weapon sling. Does the SG work as designed, yes, but having 7-10 lbs on one side does not make for a well balanced pack. I ended up strapping my rifle down the middle.

If a pack carries 75lbs more comfortably than another make, it will also carry 35lbs more comfortably.... And to be clear, I have never recommended the SG weapon sling to anyone because I have used one with a couple hundred backpack km’s of use and found the Kifaru weapon bearer to be a much more user friendly system.

Inability to properly balance a pack is a user error, not a pack error. Just sayin’.

Extra pockets, extra zippers, extra material on the gimmick packs are all marketing ploys. A scabbard is the same idea, extra material and extra weight for no benefit other than marketing and sales. I’m sorry that you are personally offended, but it doesn’t change facts. Anything you carry on your back that isn’t directly benefiting the end goal - carrying weight - is a marketing ploy to catch dollars.

And yes, the OP stated his 14 yr old won’t be carrying any meat NOW, but in a year or two I bet that will change.
I know my 14 year old wants to be a full participant in all aspects, kids get offended if you don’t include them.